The raquet and the tennis ball connect with an audible crack, as freshman Alexis Martinez, a varsity singles player, battles on. After three long hours, she finally wins the match.

Martinez was declared the IAAM B individual champion and her match was considered the best in the tournament, which was held Oct. 21-23. Her match scores were 3-6, 6-4, and 7-6. She won the tiebreaker with the score of 7-5.

Athletes play tennis tournaments match by match. When a player loses a match, she cannot play anymore in the tournament. If a player wins a match, she will go on to the next round. The number of matches depends on the number of girls that there are at the tournament. Each time a player wins a match, it helps with her ranking.

“I was kind of nervous before the match in a good way,” Martinez said. “During it, I felt really focused and relaxed. I was in the zone.”

Martinez’s match had a few breaks, but they were each only two minutes long, and because she was a singles player, her matches were one-on-one. She is now ranked 18th in the Mid Atlantic Girls 14 Division.

“When I watch Alex play tennis, I am nothing less than amazed. She is very motivated, energetic, and competitive. It’s really a privilege to have her representing our school,” varsity doubles player junior Katie Benisch said.

Martinez started playing tennis when she was only six years old. Her dad taught her how to play, and she enjoyed playing with her sister. She also played soccer for three years in grade school.

“It’s a totally different experience playing tennis on a high school team,” Martinez said.

Martinez had growing pains in her knees and shoulders for a year that made her work even harder to win. “It was hard because they hurt when I played tennis,” Martinez said

Tennis is the only sport that Martinez currently plays.

“I like tennis because it helps me concentrate on one thing, and I don’t have to think about problems at school,” Martinez said. “It also helps me keep in shape.”

She also likes tennis because of her teammates. She has made new friends on the tennis team. “They’re mostly juniors and seniors, but they’re all really nice,” Martinez said.

According to varsity singles player junior Tatiana Lazzeri, Martinez is “an incredible person off and on the court, she is so incredibly talented. She is a wonderful addition to the team.”

Rachel Amrhein is a Multimedia Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.